Process for resolving petroleum emulsions



Patent ch17, l'ggg r are I? (JESS FQB BESOLVWG EPETRGDLEKJM EHON Melvin he Groote, University City, and re Kaiser and lee 'M. Blair, .Hrn, Webster Groves, Mn, acre, by mesne assients, to Petrolite Corporation, Ltd, a corporation of lltella No me. Appllieation may a, rose,

Serial No. 206,906

2 Claims.

This invention relates primarily to the treatrnent of emulsions of mineral oil and water, such as petroleum emulsions, for the purpose of separating the oil from the Water. 1

5 The object of our invention is to provide a novel process for resolving petroleum emulsions of the water-ln-oil type that are commonly referred to as cut oil, roily oil, emulsified oil, etc., and which comprise fine droplets of naturallyoccurring waters or brines dispersed in a more or less permanent state throughout the oil which constitutes the continuous phase of the emulsion.

Briefly described, said process consists in subjecting a petroleum emulsion of the water-in-oil type to the action of a demulsifying agent, comprising a. new material or composition of matter of the kind hereinafter described, thereby causing the emulsion to break down and separate into its component parts of oil and water or brine when the emulsion is permitted to remain in a quiescent state, after treatment, or is subjected to other equivalent separatory procedure. Said new material or composition of matter consists of a complex ester derived by reaction between (a) a certain kind of complex amine derived from blow oils and either primary. or secondary amines; and (b) polybasiccarboxylated acids. Said new compound or composition oi-matter may be used either alone or in admixture with conventional demulsiiying agents of a compatible lil As previously indicated, the new composition of matter which we employ as the demulsifying agent of our process is derived by reaction between a polybasic carboxy acid or its functional equivalent, such as an anhydride, and a complex amine of the kind derived by reaction between a primary or secondary hydroxy amine and a blown oil. Polybasic carboxy acids phthallc acid, maleic acid, malic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, etc. Insofar that the complex amine derived from a primary or secondary hydroxy amine and a blown oil is not a wellknown article of commerce, wewill hereinafter describe the same in detail.

Attention is directed to the fact that in describing the manufacture of the new composition or matter which is employed .as a demulsifying agent in our process, an esterificationprocess may appear at three difierent stages:

Inthe first place, if one had a blown fatty acidinclude alcohol, 1. e., ethyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, or

glycerol, by means of intimate mixture in presence of dried HCl, at a temperature above C.-

Secondly, the neutral blown oi1neutral in the sense that it is in ester form-is treated with a 5; product such as diethanolamine. In this instance rearrangement takes place so that an alcohol radical or radicals of the diethanolamine become combined with the oxy-acyl radicals of the acidic materials present in the blown oil. Thus this no particular rearrangement is also an esteriflcation.

Finally when the complex amine is prepared, it is then subjected to esterification with a polybasic carboxy acid, such as phthalic acid. For sake of convenience only, the final step of esterifi cation l5.

involving phthalic acid or the like will be referred to at all times as polybasic carboxy esterification. It is understood that this'designation is purely an arbitrary procedure in order to simplify the discussion herein included which is concerned with the manufacture of these new compositions of matter.

The complex amines which are subsequently subjected to polybasic carooxy esterification are 7. derived from blown oils. It has long been-known that various animal, vegetable, and marine oils can be blown or oxidized so' as to yield materials which difier in chemical and physical properties and characteristics from the parent materials from which they were derived. The oxidation 30 process is generally conducted by means of moist or dry air, ozone, ozonized air, or a mixture of the same. It maybe conducted at atmospheric pressure, orvma'y be conducted under increased pressures .of several atmospheres or more. Oxidation may be conducted at relatively low temperatures, for instance, 100 C. or C., or may be conducted at a much higher temperature. Oxidation may be conducted in absence of catalysts, or in presence of catalysts. Such catalysts may consist of metallic salts, such as cobalt or manganese oleate, or may consist of organic material, such as alpha pinene or the like. Oxidation may be conducted in a relatively short time, such as 20 hours, or may require 200 hours 45 or more. I

The blown or oxidized oils are generally selecte from unsaturated oils of the non-drying type, or the semi-drying type, including the marine oils, such as marine mal oils, etc. They are rarely selected from the active drying oils, such as linseed oil and perilla oil. Although glycer'ldes of saturated acids, such as stearin or palmitin may be oxidized, such blown materials are rarely employed in the various arts. Oxidation of the active drying oils, such as linseed oil or perilla oil, is generally apt to yield a solid or almost solid product, and as a result, the complex amines are rarely produced from such materials alone, but may be produced from a mixture of oils containing some proportion of such active drying oils. In actual practice, blown oils of the kind employed in various industries, such as the demulsification of petroleum emulsions, are derived from castor oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oll, corn oil, olive oil, and various marine oils, such as sardine, herring, sperm, menhaden, and pilchard' ,oil.

When an unsaturated fatty acid or oil, for instance, olive oil, is blown or oxidized with air,

hydroxyl' groups are formed at the ethylene linkage. This is particularly true if oxidation is carried out with moist air. oxygen is first absorbed so as to saturate the ethylene linkage, and that further reaction takes place with water to produce two hydroxyl groups. Whether or not this is the correct explanation, it is known that hydroxyl groups are formed. For instance, "Chemistry of the Oil Industry, by Southcombe, 1926, page 181, in speaking of blown (oxidized) oils, states as follows: Hydroxyl groups are unquestionably formed, as the considerable rise in acetyl value proves. Patents which describe conventional blown oils or conventional methods of making various blown oils for various purposes (including in some instances, for the purpose of demulsifying crude oils), include the following:

U. S. Patent No. 1,929,399, dated October 3, 1933, to Fuchs; U. S. Patent No. 1,969,387, dated August 7, 19.34, to Tumbler; U. S. Patent No. 2,023,979, dated December 10, 1935, to Stehr; U. S. PatentNo. 2,041,729, dated May 26, 1936, to Seymour, and U. S. Patent No. 1,984,633, dated December 18, 1934, to De Groote and Keiser.

Insofar that a very suitable form of a complex amine from the standpoint of subsequent polybasic 'carboxy esteriflcation, is derived from blown castor oil, as a primary raw rfiaterial, an efi'ort will be made to describe this product,v in considerable detail. Mild oxidation of castor oil (see Chemical Technology and Analysis of Oils,

Fats and Waxes, by Lewkowitsch, 6th edition, vol. 2, p. 406) produces relatively small modifications in certain important chemical indices, such as the iodine value, the acetyl value, and the saponification value. If drastic oxidation takes place, either by continued mild oxidation from the very beginning of the reaction, as induced by either a higher temperature of reaction, or the presence of a catalyst, such as alpha pinene, manganese ricinoleate, etc., then one obtains an oxidized oil having characteristics which clearly indicate that drastic oxidation has taken place.

. value of approximately 160 to 200; an increased viscosity; a specific gravity of almost 1, or even a trifle oyer 1 at times; and in absence of other coloring matter, a deep orange color.

Drastically oxidized castor oil'can be prepared by well known methods, or such products can I be purchased on the open market under various trade names, such as blown castor oil, boiled castor oil, blended castor oil, blended bodied castor oil processed castor oil, "oxidized castor oil, "heavy castor oil," viscous castor oil,

etc. These various names appear to be applied It is believed that I dicated in U. S. Patent No. 2,034,941, dated March 24, 1936,-to De Groote, Keiser and Wirtel. It should be noted that blown oils in the broad generic sense herein employed include not only the products derived by oxidation, but also the products derived by polymerization. Reference is made to polymerized ricinoleic acid described in U; S. Patent No. 1,901,163, dated March 1, 1933, to Hinrichs. Reference is also made to polymerized castor oil or similar oils of the kind disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,114,651, dated April 19, 1938, to Ivor M. Colbeth. It might also be desirable to point out 'that' the expression blown oil as herein used, contemplated blown unsaturated liquid waxes, such as blown sperm oil. It is understood that inthe appended claims the expressions blown oil or blown oil fatty acids are used in this broad sense to include all the various materials such as esterified blown fatty acids.

In such instances where blown or polymerized acids are used, it will become apparent that these materials must be converted into an ester before reaction with .an amine as subsequently described; For instance, blown castor oil fatty acids, or polymerized ricinoleic acid can be converted into the ethyl ester, methyl ester, propyl ester, cyclohexyl ester, ethylene glycol ester, glyceryl ester, or any suitable ester by means of conventional esterification processes. We desire specifically to point out that the estolides of blown oil's, as'described in U. S. Patent No. 2,079,762, dated May 11, 1937, to De Groote and Keiser, are not suitable to be employed in place of blown .oils, even after conversion into a completely estion, we prefer to produce an amine by reaction with a drastically oxidized castor oil having approximately the following characteristics:

Acid number -c 13.2 to 25.0 Saponification number 230.5 to 274.0 Iodine number 43.5 to 55.0 vAcetyl number 164.0 to 192.0 Hydroxyl value 188.0 to 220.0 Percent 'unsaponifiable matter 1.1 Percent nitrogen 0.0 Percent 303---; 0.0 Percent ash Trace Our usual procedure is to eliminate carboxyllc acidity of a blown oil by means of a conventional esterification reaction. For instance, in referring to the-analysis of the blown castor oil above, it,

will be seen that such product contains acidity equivalent to 5-10% of the total saponifiable value. Such acidity" can be'removed by esterification with an alcohol such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, etc. On the other hand, insofar that glycerine is, the naturallyoccurring alcohol present in most oils and fats,

and also insofar that glycerine'is non-volatile, it the like, but cannot be derived from ricinoleic is our preference to add sufllcient glycerine to such blown oil and keep it agitated at a temperature of approximately 125-170 C. until carboxylic acidity disappears.

The blown oils in their various forms; that is, in the ester form, salt form, or acid form, act similarly to fatty acids and their compounds. The typical reactions of fatty acids and amines, particularly primary or secondary amines, may be indicated by the following:

(m-Salt formation R.COOH+R'NHH [HHR'N.H]OOC.R (B) Amide formation R.COOH+I-IIR.'NH- RCO.NR'H

,(C)The third type of reaction involvesv the fatty acid in theform of a salt so as .to produce aldehydic acids are present, certain amines, particularly primary or secondary amines, can enter into reactions which are characteristic of the aldehyde radical and would have no connection whatsoever with blown oils which do not contain aldehydic acids. It is to be noted that as far as we are aware, the blown oils which we have employed in the manufacture of the preferredintermediate raw material intended for polybasic carboxy esterification, are free from any aldehydic acids, and even if aldehydic acids are present, a complex amine of thekindherein contemplated would not be formed by virtue of reaction with the aldehydic group alone. As to reactions of the type involved in the ammonolysis of aldehydic acids, reference is made to U. S. Patent No. 2,079,764, dated'May '11, 1937, to De Groote and Keiser. I

(E)Sti1l another type of reaction involves fatty acids-and a tertiary alkylolamine or its functional equivalent, such as a tertiary hydrox yalicyclic amine. Such reactid'n may be indcated in the following manner:

However, it is to be noted that if a blown oil is subjected to hydrolytic reaction so as to liberate the fatty acids or acid material present, the-resultant materialsfare estolides rather than the derivatives of the fatty acids as they occur in the blown oil, but rather at the best it would result in derivatives of the estolides. For this reason, materials of the kind employed as the intermediate f raw material intended .for polyba'sic' 'carboxyesteriflcation cannot be obtained from liberated blown oilfatty acids butmust be obtained from" the blown oils themselves. This is comparable to the situation indicated in our copending application, Ser. No. 180,992, filed December 21, 1937,

in which it is shown that certain amines of a comparable type can be derived from triricinolein, diricinolein, monoricinolein, ethyl ricinoleate, and

acid because polyricinoleic acid would be formed.

We have discovered that if blown oils of the h'nd described are reacted in ester form with primary hydroxy amines or secondary hydroxy amines, one obtains materials of the kind characterized by the fact that the fatty acid radicals derived from the blown oil are present in the amine compound in. an esterified form. Such form is substantially unaltered as compared with the original form as present in the. blown oil itself. It maybe well to point out two facts in regard to the use of blown oils and the fatty acids derived therefrom. We ,have previously pointed out that ordinary blown oils show acidity and that our present reaction is concerned be-. tween hydroizy tertiary amines and esters, and not fatty acids. However, since many conventional blown oils contain as little as 5% free acidity,calculated in the usual manner, it is obvious that this small acidity may be ignored and that for practical purposes the preliminary step intended to insure complete esteriflcatio may be eliminated.

Secondly, we have referred to the acids present in blown oil as fatty acids." This is purely a matter of convenience. The expression fatty acids" as usually employed is intended to include unsaturated fatty acids of the kind which occur in natural oils and fats in the/form of esters, such as the glycerides. These fatty acids are sometimes referred to as higher fatty acids, and occur incils such as olive oil, cotton-seed oil, soy bean oil, cornoil, castor oil, neats-foot oil, and in marine oils such as menhaden oil, herring oil, sardine oil, pilchard oil; etc. 1

In some instances, these oils or the corresponding fatty acids, may be heated or oxidized so as to produce lower homologues or higher polymeric forms. For instance, ricinoleic acid can be heated in such a. manner as to produce hendecenoic acid, C11H22O2, which is a lower homologue of oleic acid. Such materials'are not fatty acids in the usual sense, sincethey do not occur as such in natural oils and fats; but they are herein considered as fatty acids, since they represent lower homclogues or isologues, and have the characteristic properties of thecommon fattyv acids. They occur in blown oils, obtained by well-known procedure. For instance, when castor oil is heated and oxidized so as to produce blown or oxidized oil, one may at least partially breakdown the molecule having 18 carbon atoms into two molecules having, for example, '7 carbon atoms and 11 carbon atoms. Such acids of lower molecular weight may combine in various manners to produce acids of higher molecular weight than naturally-occurring fatty acids. Hence the expression "fatty acids is herein employed to refer not only to naturally occurring fatty acids of the kind previously described, but also those kindred productsv of higher or lower molecular weight basic carboxy esteriflcation. it maybe well to point out theageneral typeof reaction involved in their manufacture. For convenience, the fatty acids of blown oils will be considered as R.COOH and the blown oil-itself will be considered as the 'glyceride" of these materials-and indicated thisz.

(R.COO) :sCaHs.

amine beselected as the primary or secondary C Purely as a matter of. simplicity, diethanolhydroxyamine for reaction with a selected blown oil. The reactions taking place in varying molecular proportions may be indicated in the following manner:

to be noted that this reaction does not take place to any appreciable extent if the blown oil has been converted into a soap or salt. It is obvious that the blown oil fatty acids must be in the 0H.C:Hl

ILCOO OH-CIHA 3R.CQO.C|H| (l) R.C00CiHn NH-i-Gz M acoo came. one. 6

OH-CQE orac m 0H.C H4 R.COO-C:1Ht

OH.C:H4 11.000 (11) H .-O 3(R.COO.C:Hl):NH+2C:H5(OH)t 'R.COO

. OH-CEl R.C00CIHl-+ OBI-33 R1300 OBLCsHANHH When acid esters derived from acids of relatively low molecular weight, such as acetic acid, oxalic acid, 'etc., are treated with ammonia or primary or secondary amines, the usual reaction is the formationof amides. The tendency towards amidization decreases with the increase in the length of the carbon chain or the moleclarge or predominant degree of materials of the esterifled form, indicated in the formulas immediately preceding. In a general way; esterification reactions take place at ,a temperature below the point where amidiflcation takes place. In conducting the'reactions' one should select the lowest suitable temperatureand conduct the reaction for an extended period of time rather than employ a high temperature and a short period of time. Such conditions make for-a maximum of. esteriflcation and a minimum of amidincation.

' The manufacture of these compounds is relatiiiely simple. The selected blown oil .and the selected hydroxy primary or secondary amine are mixed in suitable proportions and heated at instance, at and below the decomposition point of the amine or blown oil, for instance, C., for a suitable period of time, such as 4 to 2* hours. Mild agitation is employed. A catalyst, such as sodium oleate, sodium carbonate, caustic soda, etc., may be present in amounts of about .5% or less. It is to be noted that the blown oils are always in ester form and are not in acid form, thus are not subject to decompo ""sitiorrof the which: occurs when one attempts directly to react ablown oil fatty acid with a tertiary alkylolamine. It is furthermore form of an ester, preferably a glyceryl ester, although some other esterifled form, for instance, a derivative of a monohydric or dihydric alcohol,

could be employed.

F our additional facts must-be borne in 'mind in regard-to these compounds, 1. e., the complex amines which are subsequently subjected to polybasic car-boxy esteriflcation. In the first place,

. these amines which are employed as intermediate raw materials in the present invention are not quaternary ammonium ,bases or salts thereof. The expression quaternary ammonium is properly and conventionally applied to compounds in which all four hydrogen atoms of the ammonium radical NR4 have been replaced by a hydrocarbon radical or city-hydrocarbon radical, as, for example, in trimethyl phenyl ammonium hydroxide.

Secondly, an important characteristic which must. be recognized is that these amine compounds are not amides. It has been previously pointed out that an amide formation involves a product in which there is a direct linkage between'the carboxylic carbon atom and the nitrogen atom in the amine. This isnot the case in the compounds employed as demulsifying agents in the present process.

In the third place, it must be recognized that these compounds are derived only from basic amines. The word basic" is employed to exclude amines having little or no basicity such as the ordinaryaromatic amines or any amine having at least one aryl radical directly joined to the amino nitrogen atom. For this'reason, these amine products which are'herein contemplated as demulsifying agents and which necesradical present.

' aikylamine.

it is not directly attached to the nitrogen atom as in the case of aryl amines butin fact represents nothing more or less than a substituted For instance, we consider benzylamine as being the primary amine, phenmethyl amine.

Finally, it must be recognized that these materials have not lost any basicity in the formsof the esterified amine and that they exhibit all the properties of a basic amine, that is, they combine with water to form a base presumably a substituted ammonium compound, but not a substituted quaternary ammonium compound insofar that there are always at least two unsubstituted hydrogen atoms of the ammonium They combine with various acids to form salts. For example, they may be combined with acetic acid, hydrochloric acid,

lactic acid, chloracetic acid, nitric acid, butyric' acid, phosphoric acid, ogalic acid,-or any suitable organic or inorganic acid, to form salts. It is understood that the reference in the specification and appended claims to the amines includes the basic form and the acid salts as well as the amines themselves. The characteristic properties of the final composition are contributed in part by the amine and it is immaterial whether they may be considered as being in any one of the following forms:

TNHH

in which T represents the substituents of the amino hydrogen radicals of. the parent ammonia from which all amines are hypothetically derived and X simply represents the acid radical of any acid employed.

In referring to the complex amines derived by reactions involving blown oils and hydroxy primary orhydroxy secondary amines, it isto be noted that the products may be characterized by the following formulas:

in which m is 1 M2 and 'm' is or 1, with the I ethanolamine, or a similar amine were employed,

then the resulting products would be indicated by the following formula;

in which R.COO has the same significance as previously.

Itis also possible to obtain compounds such as I bon atoms.

monoacetylated diethanolamine in which the acetyl radicalhas replaced one hydrogen atom of one of the hydroxy ethyl radicals. Acetic acid in this instance may be considered typical of the lower fatty acids which have less than 7 car- If such monoacetylated diethanolamine were employed, the reaction product would be indicated by the following type formula:

. raaaeazi In this formula R.CO indicates an acyl radical derived from a low molecular weight fatty acid having less than 7 carbon atoms. Attention is directed to the fact that the divalent aliphatic radical indicated by CnHZn may be a radical such as a C2H4 radical, C3Hs radical, CHa radical, C5H10 radical, or it may be an alicyclic radical or an aralkyl radical, as will become obvious from the kind of amines subsequently enumerated. Furthermore, where the radical CnH2n+1, which is a typical alkyl radical, appears, it may be a methyl radical, ethyl radical, propyl radical, butyl radical, amyl radical, hexyl radical, octyl radical, etc..

On the other hand, instead of being a monovalent alkyl radical, it may be a monovalent ali cyclic radical such as a cyclohexyl radical, or it may be an aralkyl radical, such as a benzyl radical. In the claims appended hereto, it is understood that the expression alkylol includes the hydroxy hydrocarbon radicals whether derived from alkyl, alicyclic, or aralkyl radicals. It is furthermore understood in the hereto appended claims that the expression hydroxy alkyl includes .hydroxy alicyclic as well as hydroxy aralkyl radicals, provided that in the latter the hydroxyl group is attached to the aliphatic side chain. Attention is also directed to the fact that the tertiary amines involving the glyceryl radical (CaH5OI-Dz may substitute for the hydroxy alkyl radicals of the kind described. It.is also under stood that alkyl-oxy-alkyl radicals are the equivalent of. an ordinary alkyl radical, insofar that they might appear in products such as the dihydroxy ethyl ether of diethanolamine, which may be indicated by the following formula:

Such material would be the obvious functional equivalent of diethanolamine in reactions of the kind contemplated in the manufacture of the ininwhich m is 1 or 211i is 0 or 1, and m isl or 2,

. with the proviso that m+mf+m"=3; T is an alkyl radical or a radical of the type (R'CQQalkyl) or a hydroxy alkyl radical; and

R'.COO represents an acid radical having less than '7 carbon atoms. The expression alkyl" is used in the broad sense previously specified, and it is also repeated that the amine may be used in the form of the'base or in the formof a'salt.

Suitable bases which may be reacted with blown oils or completely esterifi'ed blown oils or esteri'fled blown oil fatty acids to produce the reagents of-the present invention include diethanolamin, monoethanolamine, ethyl ethanolamine,

methyl ethanolamine, propanolamine, dipropanolamine, propyl propanolamine, monoglycerylamine, diglycerylamine, monoglycerylamyb amine, etc. amine, dicyclohexylamine,

Other examples include cyclohexylcyclohexylethanolamine, cyclohexylpropanolamine, benzylethanolamine, pentanolamine, hexanolamine, octylethanolamine, octadecyleth'anolamine, etc.

In indicating the various hydroxylated primary or secondary amines of the non-aryl type which may be employed to produce the amine contem plated as the intermediate raw material intended for polybasic esteriflcation in the present invention, it is desirable to indicate that amines of the type where a hydroxy acyl radical replaces a hydrogen atom of the hydroxy primary or secondary amine, are not included within the broad class of hydroxy tertiary amines unless there is another hydroxyl radical attached to the usual alkyl radical. For instance, if ethanolamine is treated with lactic acid so as to form the lactyl derivative of the following formula:

then it is understood that such materials would not represent a hydroxy primary amine,within the meaning or scope as herein employed. The same would be' true if the corresponding product derived from diethanolamine, provided that both hydroxy radicals had been esterified with lactic acid. If on the other hand, diethanolamine were treated with lactic acid so as to give monolactyl diethanolamine of the following composition:

OH O CHiCH.CO-C2HA then such compound would be included due to the presence of the hydroxyl radicals attached to the alkyl radicals.

The following examples indicate various means by which one can prepare complex amines of the kind which are suitable for polybasic carboxy esterification:

COMPLEX Ammz.-Ezample I COMPLEX AmNE.E. ra mpZe I I Ethanolamlne is substituted for triethanolamine in Example I.

COMPLEX Ammz.-Ea:ample III Ethyl ethanolamine is substituted for diethanolamine in Example I.

COMPLEX Amnr:.--E:cample IV Cyclohexylainine is reacted with glycerol monochlorhydrln to give monoglyceryl cyclohexylamine. This product is substituted for diethanolamine in Example I.

Courmsx Ams.Example V Glycerylamine is substituted for diethanolamine in Example I.

Commercial diethanolamine and state or high technical purity.

COMPLEX Amman-Example VIII An ether amine of the following composition:

' CSHOCZHAOH 4 CzHO 023 011 is substituted for diethanolamine in Example I. COMPLEX AMINE.-Ea:ampZe IX Blown rapeseed .oil of commerce, molecular weight figured as 990, is substituted for blown castor oil and employed in Examples I-VIlI inclusive.

COMPLEX Alanna-Example X I Blown cottonseed oil, molecular weight flgured as 980, is substituted for blown castor oil in Examples I-VII inclusive.

' It is, obvious that the amines of thejrind above described will contain hydroxyl groups attached to the fatty acid radical derived from blown oil,

' insofar that all blown oils show a hydroxyl or acetyl value, and, as previously pointed out, such radicals appear without change in the complex amine. It has furthermore been indicated that the complex amine may also have a hydroxyl radical as part of an alkylol radical. In addition to this, there may be found hydroxyl radicals present due to condensation with glycerol by means of an ether linkage. In any event, the complex amines of the kind above described are reacted with polybasic carboxy acids so as to produce an esterification product and preferably an esterification product of the kind' in which there is at least one residual carboxyl radical.

Esterification is conducted in the conventional manner. The two materials are heated together at a temperature above the boiling point of water, for instance, 110-160" C., and agitated until esterification has proceeded to the desired point. One may pass through a dried inert gas to hasten esterification, or esteriflcation may take place in an inert solvent in which both components are mutually soluble, as, for example, xylol; Under acid, Iumaric acid, citric acid, maleic acid, adipic acid, tartaric acid, glutaric acid, .diphenic'.acid, naphthalic acid, oxalic acid, suberic acid, pimelic acid, etc. In subsequent examples, phthalic anhydride will be employed because in many instances it is most desirable to use the anhydride of an aromatic acid and also because phth'alic anhydride is obtainable at a relatively low cost in a I Furthermore, phthalic anhydride shows little or n9 tendency to produce objectionable secondary reactions, and as a rule one obtains almost theoretical yields of the desired products. It is-understood, however,

that any polybasic carboxy acid may be employed or any functional derivative thereof. It is also obvious that after reaction any free ionizable hydrogen atom can'be neutralized in any suitable manner, for instance, by reaction with caustic soda, caustic potash, ammonia, any basic amine or the like, or by further esteriflcation with a monohydric alcohol, for example, such as methyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol, or with a dihydric alcohol, such as ethylene glycol, or a trihydric aicohol, such as glycerol. In view of this fact, the acid esters of carboxyacids, such as butyl hydrogen phthalate, propyl hydrogen phthalate, ethyl hydrogen oxalate, etc., would be the functional equivalent of the polybasic carboxy acid itself.

CoMPosrrroN or Mensa-Example I COMPOSITION or MA'rrER.EzampZe II Instead of employing the complex amine of the kind previously described under the heading, Complex Amine-Example I; substitution of other complex amines of the kind indicated under Complex Amines-Examples HVIII inclusive, are employed.

COMPOSITION or MArrER.-E:mmple III Examples of the kind prepared according to "Composition of Matter-Examples I and II, are modified by the employment of maleicanhydride instead of phthalic anhydride.

COMPOSITION or MA'rrEn..-E:mmpZe IV In the example immediately preceding, oxalic acid is substituted for maleic acid with modification so that the reaction is conducted at a lower temperature to prevent decomposition of the oxalic acid-for instance, 110-120 C.

COMPOSITION or MA'rrER.-E:mmplc V Products of the kind described in the example immediately preceding are prepared, but adipicacid is substituted for oxalic acid.

We desire to emphasize that the products obtained in the above examples may be used in the form of the amine by direct contact with an emulsion without. contact with water. They may be contacted withwater, i. e., in the form of a solution, so .as to produce in a greater or lesser degree the amine base. Furthermore, any of the products above described may be combined with a suitable acid. Acetic acid may. be employed. Hydrochloric acid is particularly desirable. some instances acids, such as oleic acid or naphthenic acid, maybe employed to give a suitable salt. As previously. pointed out, any carboxylic hydrogen atom may be replaced by a suitable metallic atom or an organic radical derived from an alcohol or from an amine. All such ionizable hydrogen atom equivalents are considered as the atoms themselves, and such neutralized forms are included in thescope of the appended claims as the equivalent of the acidic-form. It is realized that where a free carboxyl and a basic amine residue exists in the same molecule, there may be a tendency towards thejformation of inner salts comparable to sulfanilic acid; but due to the size of the molecule involved and perhaps for reasons of steric hindrance, we are not aware that arate these cogeneric materials, although it would I be possible to do so by conventional processes. It is quite possible that these materials which appear as part of ,the reaction mass contribute to a greater or lesser degree to the demulsifying power of the final material as obtained after polybasic carboxy esteriflcation. It may be that some of these materials which appear inthe reaction mass cannot be completely identified as to their form. For instanceLit is at once possible to see that'condensatio'n products might be formed under proper conditionsbetween complex amines of the kind employed and eitherglycerol or' diethanolamine, by virtue of an ether linkage. Both glycerol and diethanolamine may be present in the manufacture of some of the complex amines which are subsequently subjected to polybasic carboxy esterification; In view of this fact, in the appended claims the composition of matter or product herein contemplated will be described not only in terms of conventional chemical structure, but also in terms of the method of manufacture. The purpose of the claims which are characterized by reference to the method of manufacture is specifically to include the general reaction mass produced in the manufacture of the amine bodies.

One should not lose sight of the fact, however, that the present invention is concerned particularly with the employment of certain chemical compounds of definitely stated composition, which are present in significant or predominant amounts in the mixtures obtained by the reactions described. Needless to say, the composition of matter is not'limited to any particular method of manufacture.

Briefly then, the composition of matter 'employed; as the demulsifler in our process depends upon a reaction involving a polybasic carboxy acid or its functional equivalent as described, and the complex amine of the kind described, in such a manner as to involve reactions other than salt formation. In other words, the complex amines are basic in nature, and therefore could react with a polybasic carboxy acid so as to form a salt in the manner indicated thus:

coon

- mammoocxncoon coon or [nRmmoooroooNa H (R) N -l-T *polybasic carboxy acid" as it appears in the claims refers not only to the acid itself, but to any functional equivalent, such as the anhydride,

.acyl chloride, the acid salt, such as sodium hy- 'propyl hydrogen phthalate, etc.

Attention is directed to the fact that the word ,amidification" has been applied to the reaction involving the replacement of an amino hydrogen atom by an acyl radical without conventional limitation to a reaction involving ammonia; The replacement of the amino hydrogen atom of a primary amine or a secondary amine by anacyl radicalhas been considered as being amidification rather than the iormation,of a substituted amide or the formation of an imide or substituted imide. Such obvious departure from conventinal nomenclature has been for purposes of simplicity and to show the similarity between certain' reactions.

Conventional demulsifying agents employed in the treatment of oil field emulsions are used as such, or after dilution with any suitable solvent,

such as water, petroleum hydrocarbons, such as gasoline, kerosene, stove oil, a coal tar product, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ,tar acid oil, cresol, anthracene oil, etc. larly aliphatic alcohols, such as. methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, denatured alcohol, propyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, hexyl alcohol, octyl alcohol, etc., may be employed as diluents. Miscellaneous solvents, such as pine oil, carbon tetrachloride, sulfur dioxide extract obtained in the refining of petroleum,',etc., may be employed as diluents. Similarly, the material or composition employed as the demulsifying agent of our process may be admixed with one or more of the solvents customarily used in connection with conventional demulsifying agents. Moreover, said material or composition maybe used alone or in admixture with other suitable well known classes of demulsifying agents.

It is well known that conventional demulsifying agents may be used in a water-soluble form, or in an oil-soluble form, or in a form exhibiting both oil and water solubility. Sometimes they may be used in a form which exhibits relatively limited water solubility and relatively limitedoil solubility. However, since such reagents are sometimes used in a ratio of 1 to 10,000 or 1 to 20,000, or even 1 to 30,000, such an apparent insolubility in oil and water is not significant, because said reagents undoubtedly have solubility within the concentration employed. This same fact is true in regard to the material or composition employed as the demulsifying agent of our process.

We desire to point out that the superiority of the reagent or demulsifying agent contemplated in our process is based upon its ability to treat certain emulsions more advantageously and at a somewhat lower cost than is possible with other available demulsiflers, or conventional mixtures thereof. Itv is believed that the particular demulsifying agent or treating agent herein described will find comparatively limited applica-- tion, so far as the majority of oil field emulsions are concerned; but we have found that such a demulsifying agent has commercial value, as it will economically break or resolve oil field emulsions in a number of cases which cannot be Alcohols, particu- I treated as easily or at so low a cost with the demulsifying agents heretofore available.

In practicing our process, a treating agent or demulsifying agent of the kind above described is brought into contact with or caused to act upon the emulsion to be treated, in any of the various ways or by any of the various apparatus .now generally used to resolve or break petroleum emulsions with a chemical reagent, the above procedure being used either alone or in combination with other demulsifying procedure, such as the electrical dehydration process. In our pending application Serial No. 284,504, filed July 14, 1939, we have claimed the above described demulsifying material as a new composition of matter.

Having thus described our invention, what we.

ent is: l

non-aryl hydroxylamine having at least one amino hydrogen atom, within the molal ratio of 1:1 and 1:3, at a temperature above the boiling point of water and below the point of decomposition; said last mentioned reaction being-conducted in a manner to yield a substantial quantity of basic material in which the blown oil fatty acid radical. is attached to the basic nitrogen atom chain; said first mentioned esteriflcation reaction involving a polybasic carboxy acid and being conducted in a manner so as to react with the blown oil fatty acid radical which is a part of the same molecule containing the basic nitrogen atom.

2. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsifying agent comprising the products derived by esterification reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) the hydroxylated product derived by reaction between a blown oil and diethanolamine within the molal ratio of 1:1 and 1:3, at a temperature above the boiling point of oil fatty acid radical which is a part of the same molecule containing the baslcnitrogen atom.

3. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsi-' tying agent comprising the products derived by esteriflcation reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) the hydroxylated product derived by reaction between a blown castor oil and diethanolamine within the molal ratio of 1:1 and 1:3, at a temperature above the boiling point of water and below the point of decomposition; said last mentioned reaction being conducted in a manner to yield a substantial quantity of basic material in which the blown oil fatty acid radical is'attached to the basic nitrogen atom chain; said first mentioned esteriflcation reaction involving a polybasic carboxy acid and being conducted in a manner so as to react with the blown oil fatty acid radical which is a part of the same molecule containing the basic nitrogen atom.

a. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsltying agent comprising the products derived by esterlfication reaction between (a) a polyc carboxy acid, and (b) a chemical commund of the type indicated by the formula:

inwhichmislor2,m'is0or l, andm"islor 2, with the proviso that m-i-m'+m"=3; T is selected from the class consisting of an alkyl radical or a radical of the type (R'.COO.alkyl) or a hydroxy alkyl radical; and R'.C00 represents an acid radical having less than 7 carbon atoms; said product being further characterized by the fact that the esterification reaction with the aforementioned polybasic carboxy acid involves a blown oil fatty acid radical indicated by the symbol R.

5. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsitying-agent comprising the products derived by esteriflcation reaction between (a) a polybasic car-boxy acid, and (b) a chemical compound of the type indicated by the formula:

(acoomk n in which T is a hydroxy alkyl radical and R000 is a blown oil fatty acid radical; said product being further characterized by the fact that the 85 esteriflcation reaction with the aforementioned in which '1 is a hydrosy ethyl radical and RCOO is a blown oil fatty acid radical; said product being iher characterized by the fact that the esteriiication reaction with the aforementioned polybasic carboxy acid involves a blown oil fatty acid radical indicated by the symbol R.

'7. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions oi the water-in-oil type, characterized by the emulsion to the action of a deagent comprising the products derived by estecation r action between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, an (1:) a a1 compound of the type indicated by the formula:

[(KCOOnliral; l

in which HP-is a hydroxy ethyl radical and R600 is a blown. oil fatty acid radical derived from castor oil; said product being further characteriaed by the fact that the esterification reaction with the aforementioned polybasic carboxy acid involveathe blown castor oil fatty acid radical indicated by the bol R.

KAI i vmnn GTE.

i. SER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECII ON Patent No. 2,17 6,70LL.

MELVIN DE GROOTE,.ET AL.

October 1' 7, 1959.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, second column, line 72, for the word "this"-'readthus; page 6, first column,

line so- 61, Example II,

for "triethanolamine" read diethanolamine; and

second column, line 2, Example VI, for "Diethanolemine is" read Triethanolamine is; and that the said Letters Patent' should be read with this correctiontherein that the same may conform tothe record of the case in the Patent Office.

' Signed and sealed this 30th day of January, A. a. 19in.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdele, acting Commissioner ofiPatents. 

